Low molecular weight polyacrylate resins have been used as defloculants or dispersants in water-based drilling fluids or dispersants as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,552,775 and 4,521,578; and 3,764,530.
One of the processes for polymerizing acrylic acid and acrylates is aqueous solution polymerization. The polymer obtained by this process is soluble in water, is obtained in an aqueous solution and may be dried to a dry product before use in aqueous solution. Thus, the aqueous solution must be dehydrated (dried) to obtain a water-soluble resin in the desired solid or powder form. It is nevertheless difficult to dry the reaction product efficiently by the usual rotary drum roller method or spray drying method because care must be taken to avoid cross-linking and an insoluble product which results from overheating during drying.